Nine missing after Chinese ship sinks off Japan: Report

Nine people were missing after a Chinese-registered ship sank off the coast of Japan, according to a report in Japanese media early today

Tokyo: Nine people were missing after a Chinese-registered ship sank off the coast of Japan, according to a report in Japanese media early today.

Five crew members were rescued from the vessel, which was reported to have sunk at around 8:00 am (Local time) yesterday off Shimane Prefecture in the southwest of Japan's main Honshuisland, Kyodo news agency said, citing the Japanese coastguard.

A patrol boat has been deployed to the site where the ship Lurongyu was thought to have gone down in the Sea of Japan, Kyodo reported.

The coastguard said it had received a rescue request from China's search and rescue centre yesterday evening, according to the report.